There are lots of money-saving reasons to get one.
There are also you-can’t-get-this-anywhere-else reasons to get one.
They also filter out a lot of the “noise” that comes with shopping. What I mean is stuff like…they only have a few choices when it comes to what TV to buy…but you can be sure that what you’re getting functions well and is, at the very least, fairly priced. Also, e.g., when we had our carpet redone, we went with the little kiosk they had setup in the store. I didn’t shop it around, so I don’t know if we saved money, but we, at least had a competent & not-repulsive crew show up and install a decent product.
My problems with it are that the store has really bad “flow”. People with their big ass-carts are constantly in your way. If you simply want to get from the meat department to the tp & dog food you may encounter numerous bottle necks & traffic jams. But what really sets me off, is that it’s been my experience that the typical mindset of a Costco shopper is “I’m an important person. Get the hell out of my way. [or] Don’t expect me to move for you.”
And the stupid lines for gasoline are ridiculous. Sure, you’ll save 10-30 cents/gallon of gas, but, for my Prius, that only comes out to $1-3 per tank. Why do I put myself through that for a lousy couple of bucks?
Someone back on the AO convinced me to get one because I was in the market for a Soniccaire toothbrush. Costco sold it for an amount less than anyone else such that the amount I saved paid for the membership fee. So, yes, there are money savings & other perks with being a member, but I can save my sanity by shopping online.
I’m a Costco fan. My store isn’t a mess of morons standing in my way. As stated above, solid prices and good products.
The ‘Costco warranty’ is nice, as long as you don’t abuse it you can return anything. Yes, people have bought live Christmas trees and then returned them in January, don’t do that. We took a Roomba back when it failed after ~3 years of use.
Costco travel is solid. We’ve done two trips and I could not beat their prices trying to DIY it, saved about a grand each time (for three people), plus they get you a private car from and back to the airport, nice touch.
Tires are also a good buy, usually.
I just bought a 14lb serrano Spanish ham for $50, you can’t beat that.
Oh, the Costco meat dept is really good. It’s my go-to for good steaks. I can get a better steak locally, at twice the price. Cost-adjusted I think Costco is hard to beat.
They do tenderize their beef with small needles or blades, so there is a nonzero risk of bacteria. It’s a risk I’m willing to take. I almost always sous vide my steak so I figure that should kill anything. I’m living on the edge, you guys.
Another vote for Costco. Ours is great as long as you avoid the busy times. I go early morning right when they open and it is usually not crowded, even on weekends.
I’ve been in some ridiculously crowded Costcos in other places though so ymmv
I like how they cut the steaks nice and thick, but that blade tenderizing thing makes me too nervous to get something I would cook only to medium rare.
I did buy a nice side of salmon on Monday though!!!
Costco primals/sub-primals aren’t blade -tenderized iirc. I typically fix that amount of meat when I grill, so it works for me. Milk prices around me are much higher in stores, so I would save the cost of membership in milk savings alone.
Since Covid I have mainly switched to Sam’s. They have pick up at no extra cost. Costco opted for delivery services. Both are within 2 miles of my house, so either is very convenient for me. Off-peak hours is how I avoid the crowds when I do go in.
Every day this week hubby & I have gone to Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast. Every day this week I have ordered a veggie egg white sandwich. Every day this week I have been charged $2.69 for said sandwich.
Today, however…
DD: A veggie egg white wrap?
Me: No, not a wrap, a sandwich.
DD: All we have is the wrap.
Me: No, I’ve gotten a sandwich every day this week.
DD: Do you want the turkey sausage power sandwich?
Me: No, just the veggie egg white sandwich.
DD: OK
They charged me $4.19 for a turkey sausage power sandwich and it had turkey sausage on it.
Manager: We can’t charge you for just the sandwich. Our computer won’t let us. I’m the manager and I assure you, it’s not possible.
Me: It was possible yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that.
Not quite annoyed but closer to that than neutrally random…
How did Herbie Hancock’s Cantaloupe Island end up playing on my PandoraJingle Bells Radio station?
At least it’s an enjoyable song…probably because I’ve got a bunch of Vince Guaraldi music on there.
(In an alternate universe where the role of twig93 is, instead, played by Karen, the story continues…)
Karen: I want to speak to the manager!!!
Manager: I AM the manager!
They ended up remaking the sandwich and refunding me the $4.19 and not charging me the $2.69 at all since on Friday what was possible Monday through Thursday suddenly became impossible.
No obvious signs of spittle in my food either. We’ll see if I get Covid though…
My husband ordered us Chinese for dinner…from a restaurant in New York. We don’t live in New York. The one near us has an hour and a half wait. Guess we are eating late.
Getting back to this…I went to a different Costco than my usual one and they had a fourth flavor, so I will give you all the details here:
Tangerine “hydration multiplier plus”: “electrolyte and immune support drink mix”, 24 packets, vitamin C, “wellmune”, zinc Lemon Ginger “energy multiplier”: “supercharge energy drink mix”, 24 packets, mathca, guayusa, ginger (this is the one I like the least - it doesn’t blend with they water well) Strawberry “hydration multiplier”: “electrolyte drink mix”, 30 packets, “hydration for performance heat/sun travel wellness” Lemon Lime “hydration multiplier”: (same info as “Strawberry”)
Each bag cost $29 in-store or $30 online (with what looks like free s/h)…with two additional flavors offered for the “hydration multiplier”-version – watermelon & passion fruit…weirdly enough, the online lemon lime is for “exercise” and not “performance”.
